Ross Cortese is back, and just when he thinks it
is safe to breathe again, life knocks him for another loop. The characters are
just as vibrant as in the first two novels, and once into it, you are hooked. I
started the book Saturday evening; picked it up Sunday afternoon, and advised
the family Sunday evening they could get take out for dinner - don't bother me
until I finish this book! Peretz knows how to keep a reader on the edge of the
seat, and interweaves history, crime drama, romance and just plain good writing
into a most entertaining story.

Better yet, there is room for expansion. Can't
wait for the fourth installment!

Tammy

Someone is killing Landlords in New York, one in
Brooklyn and one in Central Park. Ross Cortese, who works for the NYPD, is
coming up empty handed on information on the case and brings in Ruth Wilson,
who has worked with the FBI in the past as a profiler to help with the case.
When another landlord is attacked, but not killed Cortese feels this may be the
break he needs to help solve the murders.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the
way Cortese and Kelsey, his partner worked together. They were humorous and had
fun, but when the stakes were high they were able to go into action quickly to
solve the case at hand.

Cortese has a lot on his mind about the serial
murder case, but when something mysteriously happens to his girlfriend as she
is getting on a subway, this only throws new emotions in his already boggled
mind. Now he must find a serial killer and find the one responsible for his
girlfriend's recent illness that lands her in ICU.

This book is filled with action, romance and
violence. The book was very addictive and once I started reading it I couldn't
put it down. The characters are colorful and creative and I was still thinking
about them long after the book ended. This is a must read! By

Vengeance Out Of The Shadows by David Peretz is a
suspenseful crime novel. This is the third novel in the series by the author,
while it is a continuation with the same characters from the previous books; he
gives the reader enough back story with each character introduction that it is
possible to understand the different character connections. One of the main
characters' is Ross Cortese, a New York Police Detective, who is tasked with
solving the murders of two real estate landlords. In the beginning the story
goes back and forth between the investigation of the murders and a former
Russian KBG operative by the name of Doschenko, who holds a grudge against
Cortese. We first meet Doschenko in the country of Oman while he is helping
relocate a jihad agent into New York. He gets a call from his handler and he
also discovers that he is going to be going to New York City to complete a job.
That job is to murder Willi Hanfnagel, who is living with Cortese, getting his
revenge on them for what happened in Vienna. While the case on the landlords
has just picked up with leads; Cortese is hit with news that Willi has fallen
mysteriously ill while taking the subway. With this turn of events Cortese is
left distraught with the unknown fate of Willi, though this doesn't stop the
investigation from progressing or Cortese later finding out who caused Willi's
unlucky fate.

I really like the way that Peretz introduced each
character so that way a reader that has not read his previous works understands
the story. He also does a good job portraying the grief and stress that Cortese
is going through with the fate of Willi, all while trying to solve a murder
case. One of the things that I really enjoyed while reading the book was the
dialogue especially between Cortese and Kelsey, his partner, you are able to
get a better understanding of their friendship. I did find certain parts of the
novel to be slow moving like the build up to them discovering who had murdered
the landlords. Though in between the investigation the reader was discovering
new developments with different characters that it still grabs your attention
making you want to know more. The novel was thoroughly enjoyable, I am really
interested in reading the first to novels by the author. It will appeal to
anyone that likes crime investigations and enjoys making a connection with a
character in a book.

5.0 out of 5 stars

VENGEANCE

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

David Peretz, author of The Mosel Legacy and The Broderick Curse returns with the third in his series of Ross Cortese, NYPD cop thrillers. In successive weeks, two New York landlords have been shot to death, one in Central Park and one in Brooklyn. Could these be the acts of a disgruntled tenant, a business rival, or is there a serial killer out there? Ross calls on Detective Ruth Wilson to join the Squad and to assist with the investigation. Formerly a profiler for the FBI, she has recently moved to New York and joined the NYPD. Will the killer strike again, and if so, when and where?

Meanwhile, Doschenko, an ex-KGB assassin, has been on the run from Interpol since Ross brought him down by foiling an attempted coup in Vienna. Fulfilling a contract killing in Oman, he is given the green light by his handler to come to New York, via Canada, for another assignment. It is the opportunity that he has been waiting for—to exact revenge on Ross and those he loves.

I love a well written crime novel, and while crime novels are nowhere near rare, well written ones are very rare indeed. I found myself continually slowing down my reading pace and savoring this book, which is a real treat for a book nut like myself. The dialogue is rich and well scripted, the plot proceeds with scientific precision, and the story becomes more and more interesting and difficult to put down as it takes the reader further into a suspenseful adventure.

Ross Cortese is a New York police lieutenant who has been around the block more than once or twice, and he doesn't take much guff from anyone before he gives back a dose of his own. Unfortunately for him, and for the state of New York, his happenstance relationship with the sister of a major crime boss ends up with him ousting a major plot and sending her brother to a long prison sentence in addition to earning a serious grudge from an ex KGB operative who never let little things like the fall of his motherland get in the way of achieving great success at his lucrative and bloody trade. Things only get deeper as a serial killer seems to be targeting local landlords in New York, and Ross is determined to hunt down and eliminate the perpetrator at all costs.

I love the way Peretz weaves the lifelike characters into a tapestry of fascinating plot development while moving events along at just the right places. When back-stories need to be built and the plot slows down, the stories are so intriguing that you can almost forget about the suspense for a few moments before it swoops in and knocks you back into the action again.

If I could find anything to complain about, it would be the sometimes overly-intense emotions and driving factors behind some of the characters. It certainly did make the "bad guy" characters seem to have personality flaws, and the "good guys" got a bit more gushy at times than I might have written them, but I have to admit that I do tend to be a typical "don't admit you have emotions" kind of guy when it comes to that kind of thing. All in all, this was a minor flaw, and I found myself forgetting all about it as the story progressed.

This is a great read, and I think that it is a great display of the time, effort, and class that David Peretz brings to his writing. The words aren't just slapped onto the page to try and finish a book, but instead they read with the kind of precision timing and suspense that only master storytellers can achieve. This is why I am rating "Vengeance Out Of The Shadows" at 4.8 solid stars.

Great stuff!

This is what reviewers said about The Mosel Legacy and The Broderick Curse:

“A page-turner that goes straight to the heart and the conscience. Well paced, beautifully written, David Peretz is a welcome newcomer to the world of suspenseful fiction. “ Ann Edwards, novelist and author of Streisand: A Biography.

“On the surface, David Peretz’s Mosel Legacy is an adventurous, plot-driven cop thriller, albeit one with an unusual degree of historical, political and psychological savvy. But the book’s greatest triumph is the manner in which it seamlessly interweaves philosophical themes of justice, retribution, heritage and identity into the gripping narrative. In the end, Mosel is a page-turner for the brain as much as for the heart.” Seth Rogovoy, The Berkshire Eagle

“The Broderick Curse is not one single story. It is several plot lines that weave in and out of each other. It is a page-turner to say the least. And like all great thrillers, there is a sting on the tail that I most certainly did not see coming.” Simon Barrett, BNN

“…good pacing which turned into a page-turner at the end of the book complete with suspense and unpredictability. He has put himself into the major leagues of detective fiction.” Dr. Michael Blumenfeld, Editor, Psychiatry Talk